Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Apple Wireless Keyboard

The Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers. It interacts over Bluetooth wireless technology and unlike its wired version, it has no USB connectors or ports. Both generations have low-power features when not in use.

On September 16, 2003, the first Apple Wireless Keyboard was introduced at the Apple Expo.[1] The device required four AA batteries, and had an On/Off switch on the bottom. It lacked wires and USB ports, but otherwise was cosmetically the same as the wired version

On August 7, 2007 Apple released a completely redesigned model of the Apple Wireless

Keyboard. Like the wired Apple Keyboard, the new model is thinner than its predecessors and has an aluminum enclosure. Another addition is the new functions added to the function keys, such as media controls and Dashboard control. Unlike the previous version, the Wireless Keyboard now has a layout similar to the MacBook. The power button has been relocated to the right side of the keyboard, and the key layout does not include a numerical typepad.

The wireless keyboard matches the Apple Keyboard's slim profile

The caps lock key now includes (undocumented) accidental press prevention[2]; the key must be held down for a moment for Caps Lock to engage. This behavior is not configurable, and has frustrated users who remap Caps Lock to a different modifier, such as Control.[3] The new keyboard also requires only three AA batteries, one less than its predecessor.

Although Apple includes support solely for Macintosh computers, it can also be used on a Windows PC providing that a Bluetooth receiver and appropriate Bluetooth stack is installed and properly configured. Enabling use of the 'Fn' and 'Eject' keys will require customization using a generic HID driver.[4] Enabling the the multimedia keys and remapping keys, such as assigning 'Del' to the 'Eject' key is also possible.